Iran's former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has predicted that US forces will be compelled to leave the Middle East willingly or unwillingly, state radio reported on Tuesday.

"The presence of foreign forces is the main cause of insecurity," said Rafsanjani in the course of talks with visiting Kuwaiti Interior Minister Sheikh Mohammad Khaled al-Sabah.

"The US will pull out its forces from the region willingly or unwillingly, and therefore countries in the region must find reliable ways to cooperate and maintain stability and security," he added. (Albawaba.com)